McNellie

R. Bruce McNellie, Phd,LCSW,LMFT,LPC
5922 Princess Lane
Nacogdoches, TX 75961
936 560 9437; 936 371 2910 (cell)
mcnellie@mcnellie.com

Dear prospective caregiver,

A request for a home study of your home has been ordered by a court or by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. I have been asked to complete this study of your home and family. The study will include an interview in your home with you and your family, contacts with references including relatives and non-relatives of your choosing, and a tour of your home.

The following information will be helpful for you to read prior to our appointment.

1. Everyone living in the home must be present during the interview. This includes all children living in the home. It may be necessary for school age children to leave school early in order to make the appointment if the appoint cannot be scheduled after school. If it is not possible for everyone to be present, check with your CPS worker about this. The home study may have to be postponed until this can be arranged.

2. The interview must be held in your current home. If you anticipate moving shortly before or after the interview, contact your worker to arrange for another time when you are settled at your new address.

3. A good deal of information will be needed during the interview. It will be very helpful for all questions on the questionnaire noted below to be completed prior to the interview. This may require locating some documents such as marriage, birth, and divorce certificates.

4. Information on the past health of related kinfolks is important so collecting this information prior to the interview would be helpful. For example, histories of heart disease or other significant diseases that could impact child care need to be covered.

Here is the questionnaire. You will need to have filled out prior to the interview. You may print it out to have available the day of the study, or you can fill it out and email it as an attachment to: mcnellie@mcnellie.com

Questionnaire Link: http://www.mcnellie.com/questionnaire.rtf

Also, please read the following:
Kinship Care Manual. Recommended reading for those caring for children in the conservatorship of DFPS/CPS. http://www.mcnellie.com/kinshipmanualenglish.pdf
http://www.mcnellie.com/kinshipmanualspanish.pdf

Release form. Please print and sign and have available the day of the interview:
http://www. mcnellie.com/release.doc

In Spanish:
http://www.mcnellie.com/releasespanish.doc

Link to a sample template for the homestudy that you might look over to see the type of information that will be gathered during the interview for the home study. http://www.mcnellie.com/kinshiptemplate.doc

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email or contact me.

Home Studies